Schools and students adjust to computer-based MCAS

Students across Massachusetts are not only adjusting to a new statewide standardized exam, but are also getting used to taking it without a pencil and paper.

Gerry Tuoti Wicked Local Newsbank Editor

Students across Massachusetts are not only adjusting to a new statewide standardized exam, but are also getting used to taking it without a pencil and paper.

When students last spring took a redesigned Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System, or MCAS, exam, the results of which were released Oct. 17, many took a computer version of the test. The new version of the standardized test, given for the first time last spring, was redesigned to emphasize critical thinking and focus on an updated curriculum geared toward college and career readiness.

As a result, many school districts have spent the past two years planning and purchasing new computers to prepare for the computer-based exam. While some schools have had to shuffle schedules and activities to make sure enough computers are available for students taking the exams, most haven’t faced serious problems.

“I would say most districts, knowing well in advance what was expected of them, a lot of them have planned and purchased technology to meet that expectation,” said Tom Scott, executive director of the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents. “I wouldn’t say it’s perfect by any means, but they are very much aware of what expectations are, and they’re moving forward.”

The new test was given last spring to students in grades 3-8. Roughly 60 percent of those students took the test on computers, including 93 percent of students in grades 4 and 8.

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has a plan to phase in the computer-based testing. When the DESE adopted the computer-based model in 2015, supporters of the plan said it would be efficient, quick to score, and provide a platform for multi-part questions to more accurately assess students’ critical thinking abilities. The goal for last spring was to have virtually all students in grades 4-8 take the computer version of the test. This coming spring, the DESE expects to expand the computer-based exams to grades 4-5 and 7-8 for English and math, and grades 5 and 8 for science. The following year, the target is to have all tests in grades 3-8, as well as the grade 10 English and math exams, taken on computers.

“Our goal is that all students will take the computer version by spring 2019,” DESE spokeswoman Jacqueline Reis said. “It’s conceivable that there may be some schools that will need longer, but the goal is to get everyone there by 2019.”

Pencil-and-paper tests will still be available to accommodate certain students with disabilities, or to accommodate students with other extenuating circumstances. That latter group could include students who have recently arrived from another country where they had little or no exposure to computers.

Glenn Koocher, executive director of the Massachusetts Association of School Committees, said the computer-based tests raise concerns that aren’t present with paper-and-pencil exams.

“When kids are taking the MCAS test, there’s always the concern of making sure the technology works, and there’s always the concern of how do we make this work with the money,” Koocher said. “How many times has your computer frozen on you? How many times have you had to reboot and lost a document? That doesn’t happen with a paper and pencil.”

Taunton Superintendent Julie Hackett, the current president of the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents, said many urban school districts with limited resources have been able to take advantage of grants and federal incentives to acquire technology. Taunton, for example, now has 4,000 Google Chromebooks for 8,000 students. They were largely funded by reimbursements the district received through the federal E-Rate program.

“Had we not taken early advantage of E-Rate moneys it would be very difficult for us to all of a sudden get ready for a computer-based test,” Hackett said.

Small rural districts, particularly in parts of Western Massachusetts where broadband internet access is scarce, have particularly struggled, she said.

Scott said he has heard concerns about the impact on less affluent districts. Students in districts with more resources may have more familiarity with using computers and therefore have an edge on the exam, he said.

“We are concerned about districts with fewer resources in terms of how challenging it is to make those purchases and making sure they have those human resources to support them,” Scott said.

Hackett raised similar concerns.

“I do worry about the inequities we create when we have systems where children who are socio-economically disadvantaged don’t have access to the same technology at home,” she said. “But I also think we have an obligation to eliminate barriers to learning for those kids and find ways to get technology into the home so they can be successful too.”